Wednesday, February 15, 2012

as a speech-language pathologist (slp), i love talking about
language development. helping mommies and daddies hear what their child has to
say is my passion! so, in the hopes of helping you to hear more of your child’s
story, here are my two most frequently asked questions (and answers!).

1) should i be
worried about my child’s speech?

well, in general your child should be using a word or two at
one year, using two-word phrases at two years, using three-word phrases by
three years, and so on with phrase length coordinating with age through
preschool. also, there are broad guidelines suggesting most listeners should
understand what your child says about 70% of the time at two years, 80% at
three years, and 90% by four years.

but there’s so
much more. there’s also what your child should understand, how his play should
develop and how he uses his language socially to interact with others. see, speech
and language development are actually a very complex thing. it’s not so easy to
boil them down to a quick checklist.
the good news is that as a parent you interact with your child a lot and
over time you naturally begin to pick up on many of those complexities in
language, so forget the guidelines and go with your gut.

if you have concerns,
don’t wait.

some pediatricians still favor the wait and see approach,
and even some family members can make you feel like you’re over-reacting, but i
tell parents over and over to trust their instincts. the thing about language
development is that a great deal of it actually happens early on and the sooner
you address any concerns the less they will impact your child long-term. so if
you’re not sure, have your child assessed.

you can find an slp to assess your child by contacting your
local school district. if your child is not yet school age, the school can
direct you to the appropriate early intervention program for your state. assessments
done by the public schools or by early intervention programs are typically
free. or if you’d prefer, you can also ask your pediatrician for a referral to
an slp working in a hospital or private clinic. usually your child’s health
insurance will cover assessments done at those locations.

2) how can i help my
child’s speech and language development?

play! whether or not you have concerns about your child’s
speech or language, getting down on the floor and playing with him is
good. no tv show or push-button
toy can replace what you can give your child because speech and language are
really part of communication and communication happens between two people. so…be quiet, slow down, stop
asking questions, sit down, play, watch, and listen. by quietly observing your
child, you can see his interests and
help him to talk about the things that motivate
him. take time to connect, have fun, and communicate!

kim is a speech-language pathologist who mothers a spunky toddler, loves a great man, works with very special children and families, and blogs at little stories. you can also find her on facebook and twitter.